Eight years ago on the sidelines of the Belmont youth soccer field Paul introduced himself to a family we heard yelling “vai vai!” (Go! Go!) to their fourth grader running down the field. Luca and his family were in the US for two years on assignment and their son and D were on the same youth soccer team.

We struck up a friendship and when they returned to Rome, Paul kept in contact with Luca, who we’ve seen on previous trips.   

This July they are vacationing in the beach town of Formia, so after a relaxing morning in Pico we drove 45 minutes to meet up with them at the beach. 

It was wonderful to catch up and discuss the cultural differences we’ve observed and comparisons they were able to share having lived in Belmont. For example, Ana remembers her large American washing machine and dryer, but said there is no use for it here as it never gets cold enough that she can’t dry clothes outside. Buying a larger washing machine wouldn’t make sense as there is only so much space in Italian houses, and on the clothes line to accommodate a small load, which I now understand. I was also able to ask a few questions about things that perplexed me during the week, and she got to reminisce with me about things she missed in the US, like TJ Maxx. 

Formia is a windsurfers paradise so throughout the day we watched Luca and 100+ other windsurfers on the water. See video. It was the perfect amount of windy on the beach – enough to make it not feel hot in the sun but not strong enough where it was blowing sand everywhere The water was clear and warm, and there were small waves as the wind picked up in the afternoon. 

We could see the island of Ischia in the distance and heard on a clear day you can see Sorrento and Vesuvius. 

The beach club, Bagni Parisi, served “crema cafe” which we haven’t had in years. It’s basicallly a frozen coffee smoothie concoction and sooo good. For lunch the boys had prosciutto and cheese paninis and I had a smaller sandwich. We enjoyed some beachside espresso and beer and relaxed all day in the sun.   

The beach in Formia recently received the La Bandiera Blu distinction meaning it meets high standards for quality, safety, environmental practices. It’s a source of pride for Italian beaches and promotes tourism as well. 

After a quick shower at their house two blocks from the beach, we had a cocktail at a nearby beach club before going back to Bagni Parisi for “Porcho Gin” — porchetta sandwiches and gin and tonics.

The DJ played Italian pop music and adults lounged under the canopy and on the beach while multiple porchettas spun on a nearby spit. We met many of their friends and relaxed under the stars for hours before calling it a night.